yakuzagamefandomcom-20200214-history
Kazuma Kiryu
"Some are born with talent, and some aren't. That's true. But that said... Those with talent never make it through talent alone. You have to overcome. Find boundaries, and break them. The only way to grow is by overcoming challenges." —Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza 5. Kazuma Kiryu is a character in the Yakuza game series, appearing as the main protagonist and main playable character in all canonical entries starting with Yakuza 1 and culminating with Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. He is also a playable character in the non-canon Yakuza: Dead Souls. Known in the Japanese underworld as the "Dragon of Dojima", Kiryu is a legendary ex-member in the history of the Yakuza group Tojo Clan, originally serving as a Lieutenant in the Dojima Family before the events of Yakuza 1. Even following his definite leave from the Tojo Clan, he gets constantly involved in the group's affairs and gang wars, alongside several of his associates, such as his ward Haruka Sawamura, his protege Daigo Dojima and his life-long rival Goro Majima. Kiryu is the central character and sole playable character of the first three Yakuza games, before sharing his role with several individuals during the events of Yakuza 4, Yakuza 5 and Yakuza 0, including Shun Akiyama, Taiga Saejima and Majima; he returns as the sole playable character of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, which also concludes his story and ends his tenure as the franchise's main character. His role as the series' chief protagonist was succeeded by Ichiban Kasuga starting with 2020's Yakuza: Like a Dragon, in which Kiryu also serves as an ally NPC and a boss battle encounter. History Background Early life :"You and I were just orphans, and he took us in. I'd do anything to repay him, but all I can give is my life." —Kiryu to Nishiki, 1988.Yakuza 0, Chapter 1: Bound by Oath. Kazuma Kiryu was born on June 17, 1968, in Yokohama, Japan. His parents were murdered by the Dojima Family Captain and assassin Shintaro Kazama when he was a child; the remorseful Kazama opened an orphanage called Sunflower for all the kids whose parents he murdered, including Kiryu. The young Kiryu grew attached to his guardian and saw him as a father figure, growing unaware that Kazama was behind his parents' murder. During his time in the orphanage, Kiryu became best friends with fellow orphan Akira Nishikiyama ("Nishiki"), who would become his sworn brother years later. The two also befriended Yumi Sawamura, a younger girl who would become a source of affections for both boys, although Yumi only reciprocated Kiryu's feelings. Kiryu and Nishiki both grew up idolizing Kazama, and hoped to join the Yakuza following his footsteps, although their foster father always denied their entrance into the Yakuza world, wishing them to have respectful jobs as civilians. Jingeweon Mafia massacre On Christmas Eve of 1980, a 12-years old Kiryu noticed that Kazama hadn't come to Sunflower as he used to in years past. Kiryu followed Kazama to the Kamurocho district of Tokyo, where he met an unusually cold and stern Shintaro, who simply told the young boy he had no time to talk with him and ordered Kiryu to return home. Kiryu trailed Kazama's car to a building that was, unbeknownst to him, the base of the Korean Jingweon Mafia, who became bitter enemies to Kazama's superiors. The young boy eavesdropped on Kazama's negotiation with the Jingweon Mafia's leader in an attempt to end the feud peacefully, but Kiryu - unable to hear the conversation properly - assumed that Kazama was in danger and attempted to protect him. The resulting confusion led to Kazama killing the Korean mobster. Kazama then proceeded to kick off the Jindweon Mafia massacre, much to Kiryu's regret. Near the end of the slaughtering, a young Kiryu encountered two Korean teenagers who were spared by Kazama, Daejin Kim and Yeongmin Ji, the former being the future Yukio Terada, Kiryu's successor as the Tojo Clan's Chairman. Joining the Yakuza :"Wh-Why not? Why can't we, Kazama-san? It's our lives. Our future. We can decide... I owe you everything, but this isn't about that. And don't play the saint. You're yakuza yourself! Considering that... You have no right to tell us we can't be yakuza... You've got no right! We've looked up to you for all this time. Your car. Your confidence... The way everybody bows to you. We idolized you. I want this life, too! Is that so wrong?! Is that too much...? Do orphans not get to dream?!" —Kiryu begging Kazama to let him and Nishiki join the yakuza, 1985. On a rainy day in 1985, Kiryu and Nishiki confronted Kazama once more asking to join the Yakuza, but he simply beat them up. A defeated Kiryu angrily asked his father figure why they can't join the Yakuza, with Kiryu further questioning if as an orphan, he can't dream of a better future. Seemingly moved by Kiryu's words, Kazama ultimately agreed to let his wards join the Tojo Clan. On the next day, both Kiryu and Nishiki were inducted into the organization, and on Kazama's insistence, were placed in the direct Tojo subsidiary Dojima Family over Kazama's own team. As a Yakuza, Kiryu chose a dragon as his back tattoo, which was painted by the artist Utabori. Despite not being official members of the Kazama Family, Kiryu and Nishiki were accepted there and formed close bond with Kazama's right-hand man, Osamu Kashiwagi. As one of Sohei Dojima's men, Kiryu also formed a strong bond with Sohei's son, Daigo. Events of Yakuza 0 Empty Lot murder :Kiryu: "That's... That's the place." Nishiki: "Wait, wait... Are you serious?" Kiryu: "No. It's not like I beat the guy to death, though." —Kiryu and Nishiki witness the news regarding Kurihara's death. On December 1988, Kiryu worked under the instructions of a Dojima-affiliated loan shark to beat up a man called Taichi Kurihara for failing to pay his debt. Kiryu brought the man to a small patch of land and beat him up before taking his money and delivering it to the loan shark that hired him. Walking through the streets of Kamurocho, Kiryu took notice at several hooligans performing a shakedown. After defeating them for extracting money on Dojima territory, Kiryu met Nishiki and the two went for a drink; on the way to the bar, Kiryu and Nishiki met a man called Bacchus, who would go on to train Kiryu throughout December. At the bar, the two discussed about their position in the Tojo Clan and Kazama's decision to enlist them into the Dojima Family rather his own subsidiary. After enjoying themselves with a round of Karaoke, Nishiki took Kiryu to a ramen shop, in which the two ate until early morning.Cutscene indicates the time was 6:50 AM. To Kiryu's surprise and dismay, he found out that the man he beat up earlier, Kurihara, was found murdered in the place Kiryu encountered him. Kiryu was soon contacted by the Dojima family via his pager to call them. Nishiki quickly deduced that Kiryu was framed by the Dojima family's higher-ups as means of taking down Kazama. After bidding farewell to a concerned Nishiki, Kiryu contacted the Dojima family, and was asked to arrive at the family's headquarters at the lieutenants' request. Leaving the Dojima family :"My innocence and the Empty Lot can both wait. What matters most to me right now is protecting Kazama-san, and that's what I'm going to do." —Kiryu to Kashiwagi. Kiryu arrived at the Dojima family HQ, greeted by the three lieutenants of the family: Daisuke Kuze, Hiroki Awano and Keiji Shibusawa. The trio questioned and accused Kiryu of a civilian murder, although Kiryu insisted he had no hand in the homicide, and rebuffed their claims that he used a gun and dumped the body. After further discussion on the matter, Kuze signaled his peers to leave the room so he could talk with Kiryu alone. It was there where Kiryu learned on the true nature of the patch of land where the murder took place, the Empty Lot, as well as Kuze and the other lieutenants' stance against Kazama. Kuze then instructed Kiryu to turn himself in the next morning, but not before he will leave his pinky finger for Dojima. Refusing to give up, Kiryu went to Toko Credit, business of the loan shark, where he confronted the man he believed to frame him. To Kiryu's surprise, he was approached by Kuze, who was revealed to be behind Kiryu's framing. Kuze berated Kiryu for disobeying orders and punched him, and eventually offered him to spy on Kazama for him. Kiryu turned down the offer and left, knowing he made an enemy out of Kuze. Kiryu was asked by Nishiki to arrive at the Kazama family's office, where Kashiwagi further confirmed that Kiryu was framed and the importance of the Empty Lot for the Dojima lieutenants. Confronted by the possibility of Kazama getting expelled and humiliated, Kiryu decided to take full responsibility for the murder. Kiryu resolved to arrive at the Dojima HQ and leave the Tojo Clan, despite protests from Nishiki and Kashiwagi's reprimands. Kiryu refused to back down, and Nishiki drove him to the Dojima headquarters. During the ride, the two reminisced about the day Kazama allowed them to become yakuza. At the Dojima HQ's gate, Kiryu bid Nishiki farewell. At Dojima's office, Kiryu met Kuze, whom he enraged with his blunt and rude attitude while asking for Sohei Dojima himself. Despite another offer from Kuze, Kiryu demanded to see Dojima and get expelled, resulting in Kuze beating him. After questioning Kuze's decision to kill a family member, Kiryu finally heard what he desire: he was now expelled from the Dojima family. After attacking Kuze's right-hand man Yoneda, Kiryu fought his way through the building in hopes of challenging Kuze, defeating countless Dojima members on the way. After several encounters, he managed to take out Yoneda before storming into the hall where Kuze awaits. Kuze commended Kiryu for his skill and prowess, and challenged the younger man to a fight. Despite Kuze's own prowess and boxing techniques, Kiryu managed to defeat the lieutenant, and to the two men's surprise, they were approached by Dojima himself as well as Shibusawa and Awano. After Dojima berated Kuze, Kiryu reasoned with his former Patriarch about his innocence. Dojima reaffirmed that Kiryu was no longer a yakuza, and Kiryu thanked him. When Dojima asked about his actions, Kiryu simply answered that he wished to prove his and Kazama's innocence, causing the Patriarch to apathetically dismiss him. Alone in the dojo, Kiryu doubted what to do next. Back in Kamurocho, walking during a rainy night, Kiryu collapsed on the streets, before a man called Tetsu Tachibana approached him and revealed himself to be aware of Kiryu's situation, before asking for a moment with the exiled yakuza. Alliance with Tachibana Real Estate After taking a shower at Tachibana's place, Kiryu found out that Tachibana was a real estate agent seeking the Empty Lot for himself, and that he was familiar with Kazama and Kiryu's history. Tachibana reasoned that he could protect Kiryu and Kazama from Dojima if he would be able to possess the Empty Lot's deed, but a reluctant Kiryu refused to work with the real estate agent, who gave Kiryu his calling card in hopes of Kiryu's reconsideration. Taking his leave, Kiryu met up with Nishiki. After refusing to visit the Kazama Family HQ and inform Kashiwagi of his exile, Kiryu and Nishiki went to the former's apartment where Kiryu updated Nishiki regarding recent events. Nishiki then suggested that they should gather information on Tachibana. Returning to Kamurocho, Kiryu investigated and eavesdropped about Tachibana Real Estate, locating them in Hakua Building on Shichifuku Street. Kiryu went to the Namase Bar located in the building, where he learnt about the company's aggressive takeover tactics agains the Dojima Family. Kiryu was eventually confronted by the man leading the takeover operations, Jun Oda. He was shocked to hear that Oda and his group shook down the yakuza Jinsei Family, and stepped in when Oda threatened the bar owner, chastising the thug for his actions before Oda left with his men. Gathering information from Kamurocho's homeless, Kiryu went to confront Tachibana Real Estate in the Champion District. There he ended up fighting off the district's residents who grew tired of yakuza business, and met Oda once more. After learning of Tachibana's offer to Kiryu, Oda informed the ex-yakuza that his boss would like to meet Kiryu in the same place they first met. At Tachibana's offices, Kiryu had to fight his way through Tachibana's men as a way to prove his resolve. In Tachibana's personal room, Oda admitted to Kiryu he was testing the ex-yakuza after learning that Tachibana personally recruited him. Oda then challenged Kiryu to a fight, but Kiryu proved to be the better fighter. With Oda defeated, Kiryu met Tachibana once more and demanded to know the shrewd businessman's intentions. Tachibana admitted his desire to challenge the Tojo Clan's control over Kamurocho, as well as revealing his affiliation to Kazama. After some reluctance, Kiryu decided to join forces with Tachibana and help him in securing the Empty Lot. Hunted by Dojima Protecting Makoto Showdown of Dragons Post-''Yakuza 0'' Events of Yakuza and Yakuza Kiwami December 1995 Imprisonment Return of the Dragon Funeral of the Third Chairman Meeting Haruka Alliance with the Florist Fighting the Triads Trailing Kazama Showdown at the Millennium Tower Post-''Yakuza'' Events of Yakuza 2 and Yakuza Kiwami 2 Helping the Tojo Clan Partnership with Kaoru Sengoku's Palace Showdown between Dragons Post-''Yakuza 2'' Events of Yakuza 3 Post-''Yakuza 3'' Events of Yakuza 4 Post-''Yakuza 4'' Events of Yakuza 5 Post-''Yakuza 5'' Events of Yakuza 6: Song of Life Final imprisonment Haruka's disappearance Arrival in Onomichi Investigations of Haruto's father Infiltration to Saio Triads' HQ Last stand Faking the death Post-''Yakuza 6'' Events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon Resurface Mentoring Ichiban Character Personality Physical appearance Relationships :See Kazuma Kiryu/Relationships Gameplay ''Yakuza 1'' ''Yakuza 2'' ''Yakuza 3'' ''Yakuza 4'' and Yakuza 5 ''Yakuza: Dead Souls'' ''Yakuza 0'' and Yakuza Kiwami In Yakuza 0, Kiryu shares his role as a protagonist and playable character with Majima, who was previously unplayable in mainline entries of the series. With the exception of story-related events, Kiryu can only explore Kamurocho, while Majima is controlled in Sotenbori. He is playable in half of the game's story chapters, and shares the game's finale, "Black and White", with Majima. In Yakuza 0, Kiryu can use three different combat styles, influenced by previous games and fellow protagonists' movesets. * Brawler - Kiryu's initial combat style, with balanced offensive power and speed. It is a less refined version of Kiryu's previous fighting style in the series, refitted to demonstrate the character's younger appearance. Its signature Heat color is blue, and it is a counterpart to Majima's "Thug" fighting style. * Rush - Kiryu's second fighting style, obtained through an encounter with Kamoji. The Rush fighting stance focused on speed and agility, with movements and techniques derived from boxing. Its Heat color is megenta, and it is a counterpart to Majima's "Slugger" fighting style. * Beast - Kiryu's third fighting stance, obtained through an encounter with Miss Tatso. The Beast fighting stance focuses on brutish strength and slow yet hard-hitting blows, with usage of heavy movements and the entire body weight to deliver attacks. Its Heat color is yellow. and it is a counterpart to Majima's "Breaker" fighting style. ''Yakuza 6'' and Yakuza Kiwami 2 Other appearances ''Like a Dragon: Prologue'' ''Like a Dragon'' theatrical movie ''Yakuza'' stage play ''Yakuza: Dead Souls'' ''Binary Domain'' Behind the scenes Kazuma Kiryu is voiced by Takaya Kuroda since the character's debut in 2005's Yakuza 1. Kurodahas reprised his role in each sequel, as well as the 2015 prequel Yakuza 0 and the remakes Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2. Kuroda also voiced the main protagonists of the spin-offs Yakuza Kenzan and Yakuza Ishin, as well as Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise. Kuroada's last major chronological role as Kiryu was 2016's Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, though he returned for Kiwami 2 and the 2017 announcement trailer for Shin Yakuza. In the English release of Yakuza 1, Kiryu was voiced by American voice actor Darryl Kurylo. Trivia Gallery Appearances *''Yakuza 1/''Yakuza Kiwami (First appearance) **Chapter 1: October 1st, 1995: Fate of a Kinslayer **Chapter 2: December 5th, 2005: Ten Years Gone **Chapter 3: Funeral of Fists **Chapter 4: An Encounter **Chapter 5: Purgatory **Chapter 6: Father and Child **Chapter 7: The Dragon and the Koi **Chapter 8: The Scheme **Chapter 9: The Rescue **Chapter 10: Shape of Love **Chapter 11: Honor and Humanity **Chapter 12: Reunited **Finale: The End of Battle *''Yakuza 2/''Yakuza Kiwami 2 **Chapter 1: Letter of Blood **Chapter 2: The Dragon of Kansai **Chapter 3: The Yakuza Huntress **Chapter 4: The Four Kings of Omi **Chapter 5: Hidden Past **Chapter 6: Schemes **Chapter 7: The Foreign Threat **Chapter 8: Suspect **Chapter 9: The Omi Invasion **Chapter 10: Survivors **Chapter 11: The Iron Creed **Chapter 12: Osaka Castle **Chapter 13 - Settling Accounts **Chapter 14: The Go-Ryu March **Chapter 15: Blood and Bonds **Chapter 16: Decision *''Yakuza 3'' *''Yakuza 4'' *''Yakuza 5'' *''Yakuza 0'' **Chapter 1: Bound by Oath **Chapter 2: The Real Estate Broker in the Shadows **Chapter 5: An Honest Living **Chapter 6: The Yakuza Way **Chapter 9: Ensnared **Chapter 10: A Man's Worth **Chapter 13: Crime and Punishment **Chapter 14: Unwavering Bonds **Finale: Black and White *''Yakuza 6: Song of Life'' Non-canon appearances *''Yakuza: Dead Souls'' References Category:Characters in Yakuza Category:Characters in Yakuza 2 Category:Characters in Yakuza 3 Category:Characters in Yakuza 4 Category:Characters in Yakuza 5 Category:Characters in Yakuza 0 Category:Characters in Yakuza Kiwami Category:Characters in Yakuza 6 Category:Characters in Yakuza Kiwami 2 Category:Characters in Yakuza: Dead Souls Category:Playable characters